Cotswold Farm Park

Guiting Power

A proper farm day out

When we've got younger children with us, this is the day we build the week around. Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park sits in the high wolds near Guiting Power, on the lane out towards Kineton, and it has been the home of rare-breed conservation since Adam's father Joe Henson started collecting vanishing breeds back in 1971. Today there are more than fifty flocks and herds to meet, from Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs and Highland cattle to the golden-fleeced Cotswold Lion sheep that once made this whole region rich. It is a working farm first and a family attraction second, and that honesty is exactly what makes it land with children: the animals are real, the mud is real, and nobody is pretending otherwise.

It is about thirty-five minutes from the cottage, a lovely run west through the villages and up onto the tops. The park is open seven days a week and it is a ticketed day out, so we always book online before we set off; buying ahead is cheaper than paying at the gate, and it saves a queue on a busy morning. Give yourselves the best part of a day here, because between the animals, the play barn and lunch it fills far more time than you expect.

What fills the day

• Meeting the animalsThe Rare Breeds walkway and touch barn put children right alongside the pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and poultry, with keepers on hand to explain who's who and why these breeds matter.
• Bottle-feeding sessionsFeeding the lambs and goat kids runs twice a day in season and is always the highlight; watching a three-year-old hold a bottle for the first time is worth the drive on its own.
• Adventure playIndoor and outdoor play areas, bouncy pillows and a zip wire mean there is somewhere to burn energy whatever the weather, which matters when a Cotswold sky turns on you.
• Wildlife walk and foodA wildlife walk loops out into the farmland for the grown-ups, and the on-site restaurant does seasonal farm food, including Adam's own beer, plus a gift shop by the exit.

When to go

The park changes with the calendar, and the season shapes the visit as much as the weather does. Spring is the one to plan for: lambing gets going from around February, and the newborn lambs and the feeding sessions are the whole reason a lot of families come. Summer brings the flower fields and themed animal weekends, autumn the pumpkin patch, and there's a Christmas run late in the year too. We always check the official site for the current day's programme before we leave, since the timed sessions and events shift through the year and hours vary by season. Two indoor barns, the Animal Barn and the Discovery Barn, stay open and undercover whatever the sky is doing, so a grey forecast is never a reason to cancel.

Getting there

Set the satnav for GL54 5FL, or GL54 5UG if yours is older, and follow the brown tourist signs for the last stretch once you're into the lanes. There's ample free parking on site, and the last few miles wind up through classic Cotswold countryside, so the drive is half the pleasure. For older children it can feel a touch young, but anyone under about eight tends to have an absolute ball, and it pairs neatly with the rest of the family days out nearby. If you're building a run of them, our guide to things to do in the area pulls the lot together, from zoos and gardens to walks from the door.

“Lambing season is the time to go. Watching a three-year-old bottle-feed a lamb for the first time is worth the drive on its own.”

Visit the official site →

Also nearby

• Crocodiles of the World · Zoo · Brize Norton
• Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens · Zoo · Burford
• The Cotswold Guy · Farm shop & café · Guiting Power